Just The Gardener
by Brookebynature
Summary: It was the perfect set up. Large house, plenty of money and killer good looks. But in the town of Tree Hill, status is everything. She's Queen Bee. And he's just the gardener. Brucas COMPLETE
1. A Socialite's Life

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I don't own One Tree Hill or the characters. Just this story

**A/N- **I just couldn't help it, I HAD to write this story, but don't worry, cos I will not be stopping writing 'play the game' This is an AU (Brucas of course) and for the record, Lucas and Nathan don't know each other. The rest will unfold later...

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter One- A Socialite's Life

She was already a little drunk before she even left the house, he'd noticed. It wasn't as though he was spying on her, but he felt somewhat of a sense a duty to check up on her every now and then, even if she didn't know about it.

So here he was, watching her from behind a rhododendron bush as he clipped the dead ends off. He only realised he was staring when the music began to blare from her car stereo, the same car that she was driving. Drunk.

Another party, he guessed, it's not like it wasn't the common scene among the teens she hung out with. And, if he thought about it a little, he felt a pang of jealousy when he watched her leave. Because he'd never been to one of these infamous parties.

Sure he'd heard about them, and most of the gossip that went along with it. But he hadn't experienced it. He hadn't experienced being seventeen.

----

She parked the silver Mercedes haphazardly on a small stretch of grass outside of some house she'd been given the address to earlier that day. To Brooke Davis, the school hallways were somewhat of a place of information, of gossip, of party location sharing.

They didn't loiter there, the teachers were strict enough on making sure their students got to lessons on time, but as she walked down the corridor, there was barely a day when someone didn't shout the details of an imminent party at her.

But that was her life, she was content with it. It hadn't occurred to her, that the boy her own age back at her home, watering the plants may have wanted an invitation, one to the life he never had. She hadn't the time to think about other people.

"Drinks are in the kitchen, keg's out back" she was told, by who she guessed was the host of the party, although Brooke couldn't remember his name. She'd seen him a couple times, he played on some school sports team. Soccer perhaps, or lacrosse. Still, she nodded, smiling a little when she spotted her friends over on the ouch, waving at her to come over.

It had begun to take quite a while now, for the alcohol to really kick in. After all, these parties occurred at least every weekend, sometimes there'd be ones at the nearby university midweek, which was always an excuse to let of steam after hard geography or history lessons.

So in no uncertain terms, Brooke was used to the vodka in her bloodstream, that fuzzy feeling in her head and the cloudy vision. And, as this was now Summer break, the party scene had grown from merely two or three nights a week to at least five, with many lunch time barbecues offering beer and wine.

Yet Brooke had taken it all in her stride, learning to balance sophomore year at school with her friends, parties and dating. She'd never thought about it being hard, or a little too much for a seventeen year old to handle, especially with absentee parents, because it's what she was used to, and she fit in. At least, they all thought she did.

----

It wasn't long before most people were outside on the sand leading down to the ocean, the same sand that she'd buried her best friend in so many years before, the sand that she'd made castles out of, complete with moats and a red flag-her favourite colour. And as she let the softness envelope her feet, Brooke thought back to that time before all of the parties, and the boys, and the skipping school just in order to hang out here.

"C'mon Brooke" She heard someone shout from the water where the majority of people had shed their clothes and were now skinny dipping, splashing water at each other or making out. Many doing both.

She rid herself of her clothes almost involuntarily, casting them to one side as she ran in, shrieking in the same high-pitched way she always did when in such company.

"Looking good Brooke" some guy shouted over, she couldn't pick out which one. Besides, there were shouts coming from all directions.

It was unclear who'd brought her the towel- her vision was far too clouded for her to see from a distance, but Brooke was grateful for the warmth as she wrapped it around her thin body, the body that no doubt later on, would be treated as somewhat of a playground.

----

And sure enough, the loud beats of music flooded over the speakers, and Brooke was enticed by the dance floor, or rather, the space in the living room where most other people were grinding, sweaty and breathless up against one another.

His hands were snaking around her waist and she turned her head a few inches to the right to see who it was, a small smile appearing on her face. Nathan Scott, captain of the basketball team. People had waited for them to get together, after all, she was captain of the cheerleading squad, and they'd shared the same lifestyle since she could remember.

"I love your ass in those jeans" he told her, a smile creeping across his own face as she took hold of his hands, locking her own with them before replacing them back on her hips.

She could feel his hot breath against her neck, his breathing growing shallower as they continued to move to the music, ignoring the few whoops and whispers that came from the other teens. The more his hands slid around her body, the hotter she got, running a hand through her long brunette hair to move it away from her face.

----

He was used to dark falling before he packed away his tools-it didn't seem to matter. The ocean was, if possible, even more beautiful at night when it was illuminated only by the light of the moon, and he breathed in the air before picking up the last pair of hedge clippers.

"Shh, c'mon"

He looked at the driveway to see Brooke's car erratically parked-a definite indication that more alcohol had passed her lips at tonight's party. And as he got closer, he noticed that her shirt was already half-unbuttoned, her shoes in her hand as she dragged him to the door of her house.

Dropping his bag and making a loud clash, he silently cursed when Brooke and Nathan turned round, squinting through the dark to make out his form.

"Who's that?"

"Shh it's fine" Brooke giggled, pressing her lips up against his to silence him as she fumbled for her key. "It's just the gardener."

And right there and then, Lucas Scott's world came crashing down. Those hopes he'd had for getting to know Brooke were cut into shreds. He'd spent the past few weeks wanting to talk to her, wanting her to talk to him.

But she saw him as 'just the gardener.'

_Please review guys xxx_


	2. Party Nights

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I don't own One Tree Hill or the characters. So don't get any ideas about sueing.

**A/N- **thank you SO MUCH for the reviews you lovely readers left last chapter- hugely motivating I might add. So this is dedicated to you, I hope you enjoy xxx

**

* * *

**

Just The Gardener

Chapter Two- Party Nights

Brooke woke to the sound of the sprinklers against the leaves of the trees below her bedroom window, the same trees she figured Nathan must have passed early this morning when he snuck out without leaving a note. Still, not much had changed there, none of them had ever left her a note.

She buried her head far underneath the pillow, almost enough to ease the thumping last night's drinking had caused, but not quite. Still, she'd be fine within a few hours or so, she always was.

It was gone midday before he saw her open the drapes, allowing the sun light to flood into her room which faced the ocean. Lucas had always wondered what it would be like to wake up to a view like that, and even though he'd spent the first few days of this job just gazing at the beach below him, his time was now occupied thinking about Brooke.

He sheltered his blue eyes with his hand as he squinted into the sun, only just able to make out her tiny form wrapped in a white dressing gown as she sipped on a mug of something. Coffee he guessed, probably the freshly ground kind he'd seen on so many movies. He hadn't ever tried it, just the instant kind you make with boiling water, but still, Lucas figured he'd like it.

"You missed a spot" She shouted down to him, pointing with her finger towards a tiny gap in the trellis fence he was painting. He nodded, unsure of how to respond, but offered a small smile before turning around again to continue.

"I'm Brooke" she shouted again, this time offering him a smile when he turned around.

He simply nodded and replied quickly "Lucas" turning sharply around once more to resume his painting of the fence.

"You don't say much" she quipped, and for the third time, he looked up at her standing on the balcony, the light breeze blowing her dressing gown so that it brushed delicately against her knees. He shrugged, his eyes still squinted, although they were more open than they had been previously, enabling her to see the intense blue.

"I don't have much to say"

She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, heading back inside of her room to dress or brush her hair, or whatever she spent her time during the day doing in there.

----

She was by the pool the next time he saw her. Flipping through a magazine seemingly without actually reading the articles. And she was wearing a tiny red bikini that almost showed Lucas too much.

_Almost_

"I'll take my lunch break if that's o.k?" he asked her, not wanting to look at her for fear of doing something he knew fine well he shouldn't. "I'll be back in a half hour."

"I can fix you a sandwich if you want" Brooke offered, placing the magazine down beside the sun-lounger.

"It's okay, I can go to the store…."

"I have enough food, really, you don't need to waste your money."

Lucas frowned a little. She hadn't ever offered him food before, come to think of it, she hadn't even spoken to him prior to today. What was different now?

"That'd be good."

----

Nine o Clock, and he could smell the alcohol on her breath as she passed him, throwing her purse onto the passenger seat of her car before shutting the door, shooting a quick smile over at him as she sped out of the driveway.

It was the usual adult party scene when she arrived; buffet tables heavily laden with hors-d'oeuvres, champagne glasses crowded around flower arrangements that looked like they'd been cut straight out from a magazine.

There were enough bottles of liquor for Brooke to get slightly confused by the label of each one, the different colours and elegant shapely bottles all blending into one.

There was a band playing, she could see, and obviously hear, positioned over in the corner by the patio lit only by tiny fairy lights, a scene so pretty that she could have just stayed staring at for a good few minutes, projecting the epitome of wealth, of status.

She couldn't see Nathan, but the usual crowd were over by the pool, just gossiping about the usual subjects while downing shots faster than Brooke could count.

The last of the swimmers had come in off the beach now, and as Brooke looked out to the ocean below them, it was only the lovers strolling along there now, the moon light illuminating the sand to almost a silver-white sheet.

Floating rounds of cocktails were permeating the garden as she took a champagne glass form the table, one less to complete the display, but there was barely a gap made in the tablecloth.

Bobs of hair caught in her gaze as she sauntered over the pathway, styled to perfection, highlighted so that not even so much as one grey hair was visible. Teens her own age, dressed in Christian Dior and Vera Wang lost themselves in the crowd of people that swelled with each new arrival, the air alive with chatter and laughter, and enthusiastic meetings between people who don't know each others names.

Already Brooke grew confident, weaving among the crowd until she found a clear walkway to her friends, her associates, to Nathan, who she could now see high-fiving someone else Brooke recognised from the basketball team.

She turned her head sharply, sure to wear a smile when catching the eye of whoever shouted her name above the music which people had now started to sway to, music that replayed in Brooke's ears as she hugged her best friend Peyton, who was already passed the stage of tipsy.

It took her a short while to realise the company she was in, the opposite of how she'd spent her afternoon by the pool.

And all thoughts of earlier were forgotten as she downed that glass of champagne to a chorus of whoops and claps from the gang, a glare from Nathan's dad, for who the party was being held, and a nod from his Mom, who too, was passed the stage of tipsy.

----

Most of the adults had retired to the comfort of the formal lounge in Nathan's house, the house which oozed wealth and comfort, and the kind of lifestyle, just like the flower arrangements, that looked like that from a magazine.

More people had arrived though now, more people Brooke's age who stumbled across the grass, showing signs of earlier alcohol consumption, though Brooke's vision was too blurred to see the new arrivals until they were only inches away from her, waving or kissing her on the cheek, many guys trying for more.

The band too, had stopped playing, but now heavy beats were filling the air, coming from the harsh stereo speakers Nathan had bought a few weeks ago. And Brooke, her body hot and writhing against Nathan's own, begun the dancing, a smile across his face as he watched Brooke's ass graze his pants, an indication of what might surely follow.

"You wanna go upstairs?" Nathan asked, his breathing ragged and uneven against her skin.

"I'd rather stay here for a bit" She told him, turning to read his face as best she could, instantly seeing the scowl fixated on it.

"Fine."

He left the dancing, hands dug deep into his pockets as Brooke watched him disappear from her view, heading she guessed, to the bathroom.

She'd come to learn that when Nathan walked away from her, the bar was the best place to be, or in tonight's case, the buffet table with it's endless glasses of martini and rose wine, that if Brooke was being completely honest, tasted a little too perfumed.

----

She could barely control her legs when she next saw Nathan, standing near the bottom of the garden, Brooke figured, looking out at the ocean. It was when she got nearer, that she noticed Peyton's blonde curls covering his face, her lips on his, their eyes closed as his hands started to wander over her body, just like they'd done the previous night over Brooke's.

"You bitch" she chocked through the tears that were starting to form, tears which she felt had been pricking in her hazel eyes for far too long.

"Brooke…I…"

"Save it"

The last thing she remembered was the vast expanse of her driveway, the bricked walkway leading up to the front door enticing her as she felt her legs start to buckle underneath her.

----

He searched for the spare key he'd seen her leave under the pot plant so many times before as he held her heavily intoxicated form against him.

"Which one is your room?" Lucas asked as he reached the top of the staircase, greeted by a large hallway with too many doors leading off of it. Brooke pointed to a door, giggling against him as he draped one of her arms around his shoulder, using his other to hold her waist.

"You can stay if you want" she smirked, the long streaks of black still clearly visible to Lucas, even in the dark, and he wondered, just what it was that had caused tonight's drinking, tonight's tears.

He smiled politely, like he'd been told to do by his mother so many years before, when he was young enough to be told about manners and etiquette, and everything else he'd had no interest in back then.

Drawing back the sheets, Lucas took another look at the girl by his side, the one that seemed so broken, so lost. But it wasn't his place to ask about tonight's events, it wasn't his place to even be in her room, let alone hold her like he was.

He laid Brooke down, careful to move her sweeping brunette hair out form underneath her as he replaced the sheets, planting a soft kiss on her forehead as he whispered goodnight.

"You'll be alright?" It came out more like a question, like he was asking for himself rather than trying to reassure the girl he'd hardly talked to.

And then she closed that small gap in between them, her soft lips against his in the dark.

* * *

Please review xxx 


	3. Weather The Storm

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I don't own One Tree Hill, or the characters. Only this masterpeice of a story hehe :P

**A/N-** A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I'd just like to say sorry for the long wait. AS requested (by Ellie) I have wrotten with a semi-hangover, so once again, I appologise if there are any errors, though I have checked it through :) Enjoy xxx

* * *

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter Three- Weather The Storm

Already the midday sun was beating down on Lucas, so much so that he'd rid himself of his shirt, and wiping his brow, he begun cutting the grass, a task he despised seeing as he had only a hand-held lawnmower and the Davis' back yard was hardly small.

He'd made sure that he was in full view of Brooke's balcony, not so that she could see him shirtless, but so that he could make sure she was okay after the previous night. He'd made an excuse to leave after she'd kissed him, but not before making sure that the doors and windows were locked.

His mom hadn't been too pleased when he arrived home at gone two in the morning, but after he'd explained that he'd been paid extra to wash the two cars parked in the Davis' driveway. And he hoped to God that she didn't ask to see the money, that she didn't need it to pay this month's rent, because then she'd have to know the truth.

----

Brooke woke to the annoyingly loud whirring of what she guessed was the lawn mower outside, and after she failed to block it out with her usual method of burying her head under the crisp white pillow, Brooke flung back the comforter, quickly drawing a hand to her pounding head.

"It's a little early for that don't you think?" She shouted down, squinting into the sun.

"It's gone midday" Lucas shrugged.

"How long are you going to be?"

"It'll take me a while to do the whole yard" He told her, turning the lawnmower off so that they no longer had to shout. That didn't appear to stop Brooke.

"Can't you just…. like trim the bushes or something?"

"I did those the day before yesterday." He replied "You know, right when you left drunk, to go to another party."

His comment incensed Brooke, and gritting her teeth, she spat "Hurry up and finish" before storming back inside of her room, slamming the balcony door behind her.

Lucas had no idea what had changed between then in the few hours that she'd slept, but he hoped she couldn't remember their kiss, the few seconds where he let her lips linger on his, forgetting that he shouldn't have even been in her room in the first place.

And he was glad of the noise of the lawnmower when he switched it back on, meaning that he could drown out his own thoughts and concentrate on the vast expanse of green he had to cut.

----

After swallowing what she figured was enough pills to kill the incessant pain in her head, Brooke picked up her cell, bracing herself to read the many messages left by Nathan.

Her hands shook as she pressed the green button, the ringing tone echoing through her head as though she was in a tunnel, yet this one didn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

"Hello?" Nathan answered groggily, and it was then, that Brooke realised he must have sent the messages last night.

"It's me."

She could hear scrambling of blankets as if he expected her to be at his door, as if he was trying to hide something. And then she heard Peyton's voice, and it was all she could do not to scream.

"Nice Nathan." She told him sarcastically, ending the call and slamming the phone against the kitchen counter.

----

Lucas could hear the angry music blaring from Brooke's stereo when he killed the engine of the lawnmower, and he could only guess that it had something to do with the previous night.

He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, something he had become accustomed to doing in this heat, but today, the sky wasn't clear. It was hazy and the air was sticky-storm weather.

Lucas hated storms.

When her c.d had finally finished, Brooke was able to hear the pounding of raindrops against the balcony door and windows. She'd heard on the radio that there was a storm predicted within the next couple days, and she guessed that it had begun to hit.

Brooke loved storms.

And when she looked out of the window, only to see which direction the wind was coming from, she saw a soaking wet Lucas trimming the bushed like she'd asked of him earlier.

He was still shirtless, and he now had her full attention. When she thought back to earlier that day, he must have been shirtless then too, only she hadn't noticed. Come to think of it, he was kinda hot. But he was just the gardener.

Unable to watch him any more without feeling guilty, Brooke took a hoody from her closet and threw it over her head before she flung the doors back to call him in.

"It's a little wet out here!"

He spun round to see her stood on the balcony, her face mostly covered by a cotton hood, but he could tell there was a small smile playing on her lips.

"I noticed"

He grinned at her and held the clippers up. "But you asked me to 'like trim the bushes or something'" he air-quoted as she rolled her eyes.

"You know, I was going to tell you to come inside but I might just leave you out there now."

"Well if you want to be responsible for a gardener either dying of pneumonia or getting struck by lightening, go ahead."

Brooke just shook her head lightly and called down "Patio doors are open."

----

She didn't expect to find him looking through the cupboards in the kitchen when she walked in, but then, he was topless, so Brooke was quite happy to stand in the doorway and watch him frown or raise his eyebrows as he moved on to the cupboards above the sink.

"If you're going to steal something, make it quick." She smiled as she said it, but when Lucas spun around, he didn't reciprocate.

"Is that what you thought I was doing? Stealing from you cos you're rich? Give me some credit Brooke."

She stepped back a little. "I was just kidding."

"Oh"

She threw him a large white towel, and he gladly dried his face and chest.

"I think I preferred you wet." Brooke smirked. "But you still look good."

"Uh thanks" Lucas smiled uneasily, handing her the towel back.

"Keep it."

"I have towels at home you know?" That same harsh tone he'd used just moments earlier was back, and for the second time, Brooke apologised, letting him know that she was only joking.

"I should head home."

"Don't be silly" she told him "You can't drive in this weather."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous."

"Coming from you" Lucas snorted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You drive drunk all the time."

Brooke narrowed her eyes at him, unable to construct a sentence to argue her case. He was right, she quite often did drive drunk. But that wasn't any of his business.

"Look, do you want a shower or not?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I can just go home. There's no point putting wet clothes back on anyway."

"So leave them off" she kinked her eyebrow, stepping a little closer. But he was suddenly all too aware of what had happened between them the previous night, and whether Brooke remembered or not, he knew that if he stayed, there would be a chance that the same thing could happen again.

"Thanks, but I'll just go home."

"I have a dryer. They'll be warm and dry by the time you've finished your shower."

"You sure?"

She nodded and pointed him in the direction of the bathroom. "Down the hall on your left, clean towels are in the linen closet on the right."

----

Brooke had changed too, by the time he made his way into the kitchen, a small white towel covering his waist, but not much else.

"This is kinda like a scene from a porn film I saw the other night." She giggled, handing him the folded clothes.

She expected him to laugh too, but instead, a frown crossed Lucas' forehead as he quickly put the shirt over his head, leaving the main part of his legs exposed.

"Why would you talk like that?" He asked, and once again, Brooke was unable to answer. Why _did _she talk like that? Perhaps because she didn't know what else to say._ And in fact, the film she had watched, had been set in a chemistry lab, for some reason unbeknown to Brooke. Porn films were always set in strange places._

"I'll be going now, if that's o.k?" Lucas asked "I'll make up my time tomorrow."

Just as Brooke was about to respond, she finally got a signal on the portable radio she had found hidden away in a closet. The rain had fallen so fast that roads were becoming impassable, with visibility poor, and the lightening striking every ten minutes or so, which had hit a few power cables.

The radio host begun to reel off a list of roads that had been closed, and Lucas slammed his hand against the counter.

"I guess you're not going anywhere for a while huh?" Brooke asked a little hesitantly.

"I hate storms." He muttered, walking back down the hallway to put his jeans on in privacy.

----

A couple hours had passed, and Brooke had found herself now feeling a little uncomfortable as she chatted with Lucas about school and her friends. She'd asked him a few times about his life, and where he lived, whether he had any brothers or sisters, where he went to school, but he avoided them, or gave her vague answers, making her wonder what he was hiding.

"You're not a criminal are you?" She tried to joke.

"It'd be fitting wouldn't it?"

His tone wasn't as harsh as earlier, but it was notably different from the way he had spoken to her just seconds ago.

"Why ask me into your house if you don't trust me?"

"I do, I just…." she trailed off, not wanting to let on that the only reason she'd asked him in was because she felt guilty about earlier. And because he looked hot without a shirt.

The power went out just as Brooke had begun to make her way to the kitchen in order to make them a sandwich. Using her hands to guide her to the closet where she had previously found the radio, Brooke shouted for Lucas to stay where he was. But of course, being the size that Brooke's house was, he hadn't heard her.

She screamed as something fell onto her when she opened the cupboard door, but after prodding it with her foot, and then nearly tripping over it, Brooke made out the form of a mop on the floor beside her.

After hearing loud banging, and then Brooke screaming, Lucas jumped up from the couch, grabbing the first heavy implement he saw, which just so happened to be a very ugly vase he'd spotted earlier.

After feeling around for what seemed like an eternity, Brooke finally seized a large battery-powered torch from the top shelf of the closet, hidden behind something which felt like a basketball, and something else which felt kind of…...furry and gross.

She shut the closet door after throwing the mop back inside, and turned on the torch to see a figure jumping out from behind the door.

Brooke screamed once again, dropping the torch as she shut her eyes.

"Brooke it's me."

"You scared the hell out of me Nathan."

She picked up the torch so that she could see his face, and then she smacked him across the chest.

"What was that for?"

"That was for scaring me." She told him and smacked him again, but harder this time. "And that was for sleeping with my so-called best friend."

"Brooke I…."

"Let me guess, you're sorry and you didn't mean to right?"

"I was drunk and…."

"And what Nathan?" Her voice was a lot louder now. "You're always drunk."

"Like you're anyone to talk."

She saw a figure behind Nathan, and screamed once more, again dropping her torch in the process.

"Brooke it's me."

"God Lucas what are you doing creeping up on us?"

"I thought…."

He trailed off when he noticed the guy form the other night stood in front of him, the same guy that he'd seen climbing out of her window the following morning when he had first started work.

"You act upset that I slept with Peyton, and you're already sleeping with someone else."

"Don't talk to her like that." Lucas shouted.

"Who the hell are you anyway? Are you on the football team or the lacrosse team? Oh don't tell me" Nathan chuckled lightly "You're one of those gay cheerleaders that hides away from everyone during school."

Lucas watched in horror as Nathan's head snapped backwards as his fist hit the side of his face, a bloody streak running down it."

"Lucky you don't hit like a girl" He sneered before hitting back, directing another punch at Lucas' stomach as his vision blurred.

"Nathan stop it!" Brooke shouted, pushing him backwards. But it seemed to spur him on, and before Lucas could stand straight, he took another blow to his stomach, and one to his face.

"Nathan leave him alone!" Brooke shouted again, shinning the torch in his eyes so that he couldn't see.

"Get away from me bitch" he pushed her, not too hard, but enough to send her frail body against the wall, the torch dropping from her grasp in the process.

Lucas was quicker this time, and grabbed Nathan's hands before he could hit him, or Brooke for that matter.

"Just get out Nathan." She hissed, and this time, he complied, yet not before glaring at Lucas as he had done so many times before to so many other guys. Guys he knew Brooke would be better off with, guys that he was jealous of, because he knew they liked her.

----

"I'm sorry" she told Lucas as she handed him a mug of steaming hot chocolate that she had made on the gas stove.

"Don't be." he shrugged.

"But your cheek" Brooke reached to touch the swollen area that was so hot beneath her fingertips, and yet he still flinched. Her hands were warm too, and they felt good against his skin, too good, and he was feeling things in his stomach that he knew wouldn't bode well for either of them, not when she had the life she did, and he was, as she had told Nathan 'just the gardener.'

Lucas was glad that Nathan hadn't recognised him from the other day, not for his own sake, but for Brooke's. He didn't even go to Tree Hill high, and yet, he knew of her reputation, hell, he'd experienced it. But one wrong decision, one wrong hook up, and she could be outcast, Lucas was smart enough to know that.

He wanted better for her, this town was too shallow, too unforgiving for the residents who made mistakes, which, if truth be told, was everyone. But most could cover them up with money, they could buy silence, buy acceptance.

"C'mon" She took his hand, leading him out of the kitchen by lighting the way with the torch that had survived so many falls that night. And he was interrupted from his thoughts, by her raspy voice again. "I want to show you something."

"Brooke are you crazy? It's lightening outside!" Lucas protested as she slid open a door after they'd made their way upstairs and to a room which seemed to be used as a first floor sitting room.

"Maybe" she shrugged "But the roof's covered."

He smiled as she led him, still holding his hand, out of the doors, and to a large veranda which had a view like no other he'd ever seen. Spectacular didn't do the picture of lights highlighting the city justice.

"I guess they've still got power down there" He said softly as Brooke grabbed a few quilts from off of the couch.

She simply nodded and went about arranging the covers around the various cushions that were padding the outdoor floor. It wasn't quiet- the rain and thunder made sure of that, but somehow, Lucas felt a sense of peace as he looked past the vast back yard, and at the city with its twinkling lights and luminous skyline.

"Sometimes, I think this city's more beautiful than New York." Brooke told him as she sunk down into the pillows, pulling Lucas with her as she nestled under the quilts.

"This is my favourite thing to do when there's a storm."

Lucas stayed silent, content enough to watch the light change every time lightening struck.

"I love it in the Summer" She told him, taking a sip from the mug. "When there's heat lightening at night."

"What would you be doing right now?" Lucas asked suddenly, turning to face Brooke as she took another sip.

"What do you mean.?"

"If it wasn't storming. What would you be doing right now?"

She shrugged. "Partying I guess, I mean, there's not much else to do around here."

"There's one tonight right?"

"A party?"

"Yeah. I think I heard there was one at someone called Tim's house."

A small smile crossed Brooke's face as she thought about the class clown who would most likely be getting busted by his older brother for stealing his porn stash or something.

"You don't have to stay here you know. I can get home, you can go to the party."

Brooke shrugged again. "I'd rather stay here."

"Aren't you like the party queen or something?" He enquired. "What are they gonna do if you're not there?"

"They'll just have to do without me." She smiled.

----

They sat in silence once again as they sipped on the hot drink Brooke had made. It was a comfortable silence, not one filled with tension or unclear feelings.

"About last night" Brooke started. "I'm sorry."

Lucas swallowed, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to brush it off as though it was nothing, because Brooke had been messed around enough by guys like Nathan. But he didn't want her to think he was taking advantage, or that it was just a comfort thing.

"I'm here if you ever want to talk you know?"

She nodded, a little confused, but decided against telling him what had happened.

"We're a lot different, you and I." Brooke stated.

And here it was, thought Lucas. Her way of telling him that nothing was going to happen between them, that she was out of his league, because quite clearly, to everyone including Lucas, she was.

But she didn't follow up what she had just said, they just sat there, the city in front of them, the storm all around as far as they could see, and for that night, it didn't matter about their different worlds. It didn't matter that she had her social circle to attend to the next day, whereas he had a circle of flowers to water.

For this one night, status meant nothing. They could weather the storm together.

* * *

Please review xxx 


	4. Secrets

**Author- **Emily-Grace mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I do not own the characters, and I don't own the show. I only own this story, but that's enough for me.

**A/N- **Well to say that this chapter has been a long time coming would be an understatment. To be honest, I've been lacking focus for this story, but I'm back on track, and have plans once again :) So I just want to say a big thank you to all you reviewers, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. xxx

**

* * *

**

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter Four- Secrets

"Truth or dare Brooke?" Bevin asked eagerly. They were, of course, supposed to be in study period right now, but doing work was neither appealing or manageable for the two cheerleaders.

"Truth."

"Okay, so you and Nathan have broken up, which guy would you do right now? If you could do anyone."

"Anyone? Even Brad Pitt?" Brooke asked. This question was way too easy. She'd do Brad Pitt and Colin Farrel and Paul Walker, all at the same time preferably.

"Nobody famous" Bevin giggled. Real life people."

Brooke rolled her eyes at the girl across the table. "They are real life people, we just don't know them."

"Well I meant people we know. So c'mon" She urged "Who would you do?"

Her thoughts, at this moment in time, drifted to Lucas, and the mental picture she had stored from the other day where he'd looked so hot topless in her back yard. Nothing had happened of course, he hadn't let it.

"Um..." She paused for thought, just a moment too long.

"You actually like someone don't you!" Bevin exclaimed excitedly. "Who is he?"

"You wouldn't know him." _Well it was the truth. Bevin wouldn't know Lucas._

"Try me."

"He's called, erm…Brandon."

"Brandon?"

"See? I told you that you wouldn't know him."

"So how did you guys meet?"

_Jesus Christ. _Brooke thought. _When were the questions going to end?_

"Just at some party his parents were throwing. It was only a small gathering." She added, careful not to make out like he'd been to some big party everyone was going to question her about.

But Bevin seemed content with Brooke's answer as she nodded and smiled, excusing herself in order to go to the bathroom. After all, everyone had secrets they didn't want revealing.

----

"Lucas." He heard her calling him a few seconds after she'd killed the engine of her Mercedes.

"Brooke?" He was a little surprised she was talking to him after a couple days ignoring his very existence. But he understood. Tree Hill didn't like people who weren't rich or popular.

"Yeah" She looked a little sheepish as she stared at her nails, making a mental note to get them coloured candy pink the next time she went to the salon. Red chipped way too easily. "How are you? I mean, was your Mom mad you didn't make it home until late the other night?"

_Of course she was mad. She'd thought he'd been caught in the storm, maybe been taken to hospital or even killed or something._

"Nah she was cool." It didn't do well to tell the truth in this town, people weren't all that understanding.

Brooke nodded, at loss for words, which admittedly, didn't normally happen. "Well I gotta go…" She pointed to the house, although she wasn't actually sure what she had to go do. But anything had to be more comfortable than the awkwardness that was surrounding them right now.

----

The next time he saw her, she was wearing a skirt short enough to show almost as much leg as cheerleading uniforms, and a top that made Lucas' breath hitch in his throat. She barely glanced his way as she walked down the driveway to wait at the bottom.

"Nathan" She greeted him with a brief kiss near the corner of his mouth when he pulled up in the truck she'd been used to riding in so many times prior to that week. Now, the faint smell of leather comforted her somewhat, yet Brooke knew she was far from comfortable.

"Tim said his brother had a few lines for us tonight." Nathan smiled a little, unaware of Brooke's nervousness.

"Sounds good."

They arrived at the party while it was almost in full swing, and as Nathan had told Brooke in the truck, there were lines of cocaine being snorted from tables, things she'd seen before at college parties. But she'd never actually _done _drugs before.

"Brooke!" A very drunk Theresa shouted over. It didn't bode well that she was sitting with the guys who had their noses pressed over $50 bills, snorting the white powder as though their life depended on it. Brooke guessed that maybe it did.

"Hey girlfriend!" She did her best to sound cheery, giggling when Theresa lurched and almost tripped over the coffee table. "I think I need a beer."

----

She was on what was possibly her eighth drink when Nathan stumbled across the room to where she was standing. She hadn't been counting the drinks, well, no that was a lie. She _had _been counting, it just so happened that she'd now _lost _count.

"Dance with me." He pressed his lips up against that weak spot, just below her ear, and it was all she could do not to attack him there and then. Brooke simply nodded and let his hands snake around her waist, a giddy grin spreading across her face.

Right now, Brooke shut out all thoughts of him and Peyton from the other week. She ignored the fact that she'd just spent the other night with Lucas, watching the storm above the city. But she couldn't ignore the feeling of guilt spreading across her.

Nathan was _her _boyfriend, she knew that. It wasn't supposed to be her feeling guilty that she was dancing with him. If anything, he should feel guilty, for the past week with Peyton, for driving Brooke to blocking out her thoughts with alcohol, and for making her turn to that jerk she had over the night of the storm.

Brooke glanced over toward the table where Theresa was now nearly passing out on, and Brooke knew she'd snorted the drugs.

"You wanna go do a line?" Nathan misinterpreted her glance as a want, as a need.

"I erm…"

"C'mon"

He led her over to the table, and she perched nervously, as she watch Nathan roll up a $50 and breath the powder in quickly, high-fiving Tim, whose turn was next.

"Here Brooke" She was handed a card to cut up the substance even finer, before she made it into a line, shaking herself as she rolled up her own $100 bill and snorted the coke, just as Nathan had done.

----

Lucas drove quickly through the dark streets, he was late, once again, and there was no doubt that this time, his Mom was going to be pissed, _really_ pissed. He passed what he guessed was Tim's house, judging by the cars parked outside and the large splashes of water rising up from the pool.

It was only a few blocks down the street, that he noticed a figure slumped against a tree. Slowing down to a stop, he wound down the window.

"Hey, you okay?"

And only when the figure tilted their head up slowly, just enough to allow Lucas to catch a glimpse of their face, he saw it was her.

"Brooke!" Lucas opened the door quickly, running to her as though she was his oldest friend that he hadn't seen in years.

"I…" Her head fell onto his shoulder and she shut her eyes out from the world, from the noise still audible from Tim's house, from Lucas' worried expression, from her own intoxicated state.

He scooped her up, slowly and gently, the opposite of how he had acted just seconds earlier. Smoothing Brooke's hair away from her face, Lucas walked to the battered truck, the one it had taken him almost a year to save up for, and the same one that the residents of this small town looked at in disgust.

She didn't move. Not once. Her arms were around his neck as he carried her up the large stairway to her room, her breathing deadly silent. But Lucas was reassured by the rising and falling of her chest, and the occasional fluttering of her mascara-coated eyelids.

"What did you do pretty girl?" He whispered, moving the loose strands of brunette hair from her face once again.

She turned into him, just as he was about to let go, just when he loosened his hold on her. He was her secret, just as she would be his when he explained to his Mom in the morning. And as Lucas looked at her tiny sleeping form, he didn't have the heart to leave.

* * *

Please review guys xxx


	5. Waiting For What Never Comes

**A/N- **A big thank you to everyone who reviewed, and with no further ado...on with chapter five. Hope you enjoy :)

**

* * *

**

Just The Gardener

Chapter Five- Waiting For What Never Comes

_Wake up, take your pills dear. I know this time of year aint right for you._

He woke the next morning to find an empty space on the bed next to him. Rubbing his eyes, Lucas adjusted to the light pouring in from the balcony doors-he hadn't thought about shutting the drapes the previous night. Glancing at the alarm clock on the side table, he cursed to himself, noticing that it was now nine, and he hadn't yet called his Mom.

The results were, as expected: his Mom had shouted, told him he was being irresponsible, warned that if it happened again, she'd have a punishment lined up. But for now, Lucas was content to replant the Spring border. It _was _nearly summer after all.

----

"I'm heading home." Brooke told her cheerleading squad, who were busy stretching after practise.

"But I thought we had practise tonight before the game?" Bevin asked, a little confused. "Besides, it's Thursday and they have that chicken pasta you really like…"

"I'll only be gone over lunch." She promised "I have bio last period anyway, and I figured I should actually go for once."

"Sounds like a plan" Bevin giggled, adding a 'see ya' as Brooke left the gym.

----

He was shirtless (again) when she pulled up into the driveway, and Brooke tried her hardest not to look when she noticed he had a hosepipe in one hand. He was, of course, unaware of her presence, and it was only when Brooke cleared her throat that Lucas jumped back slightly, bring a hand to his chest as if to silently tell her how much she'd startled him.

"Hey" She looked down a little, barely able to bring herself to look him in the eyes after the previous night. "I just wanted to say thanks…for last night."

He nodded, offering her a small smile. "You kinda scared me, you know that?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to creep up on you."

This time, Lucas shook his head, the smile disappearing. "I meant last night, when I saw you passed out by that tree. You scared me."

If truth be told, Brooke had scared herself. She knew fine well that she was capable of drinking excessive amounts, sleeping with guys she knew wouldn't be there in the morning, but cocaine…that was something else.

"Yeah, I kinda scared myself." She admitted, twisting the hem of her shirt between her thumb and forefinger, glad of the distraction so that she didn't have to look Lucas in the eye.

"What was it?" He asked "What made you want to pass out like that?"

"I didn't _want _to!" Brooke defended, becoming increasingly irate. "it just sorta…happened."

"Getting that out of your head doesn't just happen Brooke!"

"What does it even matter to you?" She fumed, finally ready to look him in the eye, and tell him that he was no person to judge her or her decisions. "You're just the gardener, why should you even care?"

He wanted to scream at her that it was because he knew nobody else did, because he wanted to get to know her better, and because for as long as he'd worked here (which granted, was only a couple months) he'd seen her come home wasted from parties. There had to be some reason behind the incessant drinking.

"You're right." Lucas said softly. "I'm just the gardener."

He turned his back on her, picking up the hose as he tidied a few stray leaves from the border, taking pride in the array of brightly coloured flowers and greenery.

Brooke walked back to her car, defeated. She'd forgotten that the only reason she'd come here over lunch was to say thank you for the previous night, and it had turned into an argument.

----

"Brooke!" Theresa exclaimed as they saw their friend pass the picnic bench outside of the cafeteria. "We saved you some chicken pasta."

"I'm not hungry" She muttered, failing to acknowledge the thought of her friends as she marched to her locker.

The only bright point of the day (other than discovering Lucas shirtless) was the fact that Nathan seemed to be avoiding Peyton, which gave Brooke an ounce of satisfaction. At least he'd whispered in her ear that he'd see her after the game. Brooke knew what that meant.

Biology was a bore, which didn't come as a surprise seeing as the topic was mitosis, and Brooke didn't give two hoots about the process of cell division. She did however, use the time it took the teacher to get a cup of coffee, to plan the Summer bonfire party, held to mark the end of the school year.

----

Lucas watched as Brooke pranced around her room in that tiny cheerleading outfit she owned, lightly curling her hair with a pair of tongs as she put on a great show. There was no doubt in his mind, that she was doing it for his benefit, and he knew he wouldn't have any of the rewards that Nathan, or some other guy would get once the basketball game was over.

"I'll be sure not to get drunk tonight." Brooke muttered sarcastically to Lucas as she climbed into her car. Her words left him stunned as she sped away, but he knew better than to go home before she got here.

He didn't believe her.

----

"Come home with me." Her lips were brushing against his skin as he tried in vain to put his team jacket on, content with the Raven's victory tonight.

"I…" Nathan attempted to protest, but her breath on his skin was too much to bare, and if this was an indication of what was to follow, he couldn't stand to turn the opportunity of sex with Brooke Davis down.

He watched as Nathan pulled up, and she clambered down form his truck, giggling: but Lucas wasn't sure of whether she was drunk, or simply happy. Either way, when Nathan killed the engine and opened his own door, Lucas felt a pang of jealously run through him. And when he met her at the door, spinning her round so that he could lift that tiny shirt form over her head before they even entered the house, Lucas had to look away.

They had frantic sex, on her bed, barely taking time to speak to each other. She was on top tonight, she was in too much of a need to be satisfied to let Nathan do it his way. She hadn't closed the drapes, it didn't matter. It was passed Lucas' working hours, and besides, she figured he wouldn't be waiting for her return tonight, not after what had happened at lunch.

"Stay here" She whispered breathlessly. "Stay with me tonight."

Nathan dipped his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't Brooke."

"Why not? It's not like you have anywhere else to be."

Actually he did. Peyton would be waiting round at his house right now, he couldn't miss the opportunity.

"I have practise in the morning." he lied "I kinda need to rest."

Brooke hid her disappointment behind a fake smile and a witty comment.

"Guess it's in your best interests then." She raised an eyebrow. "Resting with me is almost _impossible." _

----

Lucas was putting his equipment into the back of his truck when Nathan emerged from the house, talking on his cell.

"I'm coming babe I promise."

Lucas kept his head down, not wanting to let on that he was listening in on Nathan's conversation.

"Yeah I'm at the drugstore. I'll see you in five. Bye Peyton."

And then he was gone, speeding through the gates at the bottom of the driveway to make his 'visit' to Peyton.

She poured the contents of the plastic bottle into her hand. She only had two left, and this set of pills were supposed to last until next month. Still, she needed them at times like these: lying was exhausting. It was only when she looked in the mirror that she caught sight of herself, letting out a helpless cry.

Brooke was waiting for Nathan's commitment, Lucas knew that. And he also knew she wouldn't get it.

Yet he was waiting for Brooke, a gardener waiting for the girl everyone else wanted. He wouldn't get her, he knew that too.

But it didn't make him want her any less.

She swallowed slowly, letting the feel of them wash down her throat. Sinking back onto her bed, she remembered the time when pills and alcohol and drugs were something she saw only on t.v, and only on the shows airing after 9pm. But this was her life now: Brooke was resigned to that. Glancing out of the patio doors, she noticed Lucas loading the last of his things into his truck, staring up at her disapprovingly. She wasn't sure whether he'd caught sight of her, but she couldn't hide her embarrassment any less.

_I'm sure the pills keep pouring in…oh this aint pretty dear…

* * *

_

Please review guys xxx 


	6. Saving Her

**A/N- **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to answer most people's question, the words I used at the beginning and end of this chapter were from 'coffee and cigarettes' by Augustana. Hope you enjoy this chappie :)

**

* * *

**

Just The Gardener

Chapter 6- Saving Her

_Sometimes you walk by the good ones, cos you're trying too hard to see them._

It was finally here, the first day of the Summer break and Brooke was determined to enjoy it. The end of term beach party was planned for tonight, and she'd taken great pride in recruiting members of various school sporting teams to build the bonfire so that she wouldn't have to do the work herself. Brooke's social life was pretty much on track now, so it came as a great disappointment that her (not-so) private life wasn't following suit.

Since the other night when Lucas had caught her swallowing the last of her pills, Brooke had been unable to look him in the eye, which meant lots of staring at the ground and determination in the form of not looking at him shirtless, which was becoming a permanent fixture.

Relaxing by the pool with the newest edition of Cosmo and glad in her new Dior bikini, Brooke jumped slightly as Lucas accidentally dropped the hedge trimmers.

"Sorry" He mumbled, picking them up quickly as he averted his gaze to her in order to give a convincing apology.

She shrugged "It's fine." and went back to reading the article on why men cheat. That was something she _definitely _needed to understand. Lucas reluctantly returned to the hedge, which had barely grown since he had last trimmed every inch to perfection.

"There's a bonfire tonight?" He asked, knowing the answer before she even had to reply.

"Yeah it's just something that happens every year."

"Sounds good" Lucas returned, forcing a smile at the stunning brunette, who had lifted up her sunglasses in order to talk to him more directly.

Brooke shrugged again and let the corner of her mouth curl into a small smile. "It should be fun. At least we don't have Tim as a d.j this year."

Lucas allowed himself to chuckle lightly, guessing that it was some kind of a joke. Truth be told, he'd never seen this Tim before, but he'd heard stories from his own friends back home, information about what happened among Tree Hill's elite.

She didn't need to apologise for the other day now, they both understood this conversation as some kind of a truce. But Brooke still couldn't shake off the feeling that he wanted answers for her behaviour after the party, after the game.

----

"What the hell do you mean there's no bonfire?" Brooke shouted down the phone. "This is an end of term, or beginning of Summer bonfire beach party. It requires a God damn bonfire!"

Lucas looked over towards the pool, where Brooke was fuming behind her sun glasses, he knew those eyes would be narrowed even though the recipient couldn't see her.

"But I saw them and gave them instructions yesterday!"

The edition of Cosmo was now residing on the floor after being thrown there by a furious Brooke.

"I manage to conduct a perfectly great cheerleading practise with a hangover, so why is it that they can't lift a few pieces of wood?"

She lowered the volume of her voice a little when she saw Lucas looking in her direction, offering her a small sympathetic smile.

"So where are they now? Well that's just _fucking_ great." She brought a hand to her head, rubbing her skin as though to iron out the creases made by her frowns.

"Tell them to go screw themselves."

Brooke snapped her cell shut and sunk back into the softness of the sun-lounger, trying to think of a possible way she could salvage what was left of her plans for that night.

----

She'd seen the bottle of tequila staring at her, and had managed to avoid it's glare for the half hour she'd been in the kitchen. But thinking about what could happen tonight, Brooke cracked, almost running to the bottle, skipping the part of the glass or mug.

If this party sucked, she'd be cast off the list of good hosts, and in turn, would not be invited to other parties held by her peers. Cancelling would be even worse: parties, even impromptu ones, were to be carried out if plans had been made and people were aware of the event.

These were, of course, unwritten rules, but they were religiously followed, Brooke knew that. She remembered the time Katie Elliot hosted a party where the main attraction (the promise of strip poker) had failed to live up to expectation. People had left early, and she hadn't received an acknowledgement at school the following Monday. Prom had been a few weeks later, and Brooke recalled the usually chirpy blonde-haired girl sitting at her table alone, outcast for her failure as a party host.

Brooke couldn't afford that to happen to her.

If all else failed, she would be able to persuade her squad to perform some kind of long routine, removing a piece of (barely there) clothing as they went. This would appeal only to the guys, or girls who desperately wanted to be in the squad, but Brooke had reasoned with herself that it would be better than nothing.

It would be better than Katie anyway.

----

Unusually, Lucas was no longer working out in the back yard, cleaning the pool or mowing the lawn, or whatever he normally did until that hour every night. Brooke took this opportunity to swig more of the vodka, glad of the blurry haze it was already creating.

It was only when she had reached the beach that she saw the huge bonfire she had envisaged and instructed the guys to built for her.

A smile spread across her face as she was congratulated by people from school, telling her what a great job she'd done with the bonfire and the Mexican-themed decorations. Brooke of course, had no idea that there would be decoration, let alone a bonfire, but guessed that the earlier shouting had done some good. They'd saved her.

A couple hours later, and people were dancing up against each other, drinks in their hands as the heavy beats of Reanimation pounded through their ear drums. The stars reflecting on the water gave the perfect backdrop to the beginning of Summer beach life, something Brooke swore she'd never grow tired of.

"Thank you" Brooke's raspy voice filled Nathan's ears as he turned to view her in the turquoise bikini she'd teamed with a jeans skirt and matching flip flops.

"For what?"

"The bonfire. I knew you guys would come through."

Nathan frowned a little, confused as to why she was crediting him for something he should have been doing instead of…Peyton.

"No problem."

He threw in a quick glance in Peyton's direction before letting Brooke lead him to where everyone else was dancing, a sea of hot bodies pressed up against one another.

Lucas watched as Brooke slung an arm over Nathan's shoulder, in a manner that was anything but casual. He didn't care that she didn't know he'd spend the past couple hours building her bonfire while she drunk straight from the vodka bottle-he didn't need to have been at her house to know what she was doing. But seeing Nathan rewarded for it sent that feeling he'd had the other night through his body, head to toe when she let her lips nibble that spot just below his ear.

In that moment, Lucas would have given _anything_ to be in Nathan's position.

----

"Who was that guy that built the fire?" a giggling Bevin asked Brooke, who was almost too drunk to comprehend what her friend was saying.

"Who? Nathan?"

"No" Bevin shook her head. "That hot blonde guy that wasn't wearing a shirt."

Frowning, Brooke managed to grab hold of the table before she feel over. Her vision was becoming increasingly blurred, but she guessed that's what happened after almost a full bottle of vodka and countless beers.

"It wasn't Nathan?"

Her friend shook her head again, and Brooke stole a glance in Nathan's direction. "W…where did he go?" she managed to slur, forcing herself to focus on the sand in front of her.

Bevin shrugged. "I don't know, but if you find out, let me know." She giggled again. "He was hot, like, _really _hot."

Brooke was on her way to ask Tim about his and Nathan's whereabouts earlier that day, when she was confronted by some kind of a sick re-enactment of a couple weeks ago, the couple weeks ago that she had caught Nathan and Peyton making out at Dan's party.

"No" She shook her head a little, hoping that it was the blurred vision, giving her false information. This only caused more dizziness, and made Brooke very close to falling over.

"Brooke I…"

"How could you do it again?" She asked, tears already streaming down her face. She hadn't bothered to even try and stop them. "With my best friend."

She had run away before Nathan could even answer, but after Peyton's protests against stopping him from chasing her, he stayed by the bonfire, joining in with the toasting of the marshmallows-Brooke's favourite part.

----

She'd grabbed the rest of the vodka bottle and made her way up the path from the beach, past the diner and the parking lot. The bathroom cabinet was her next port of call, and Brooke could only hope that the pain killers would be strong enough to make her pass out.

"Please don't"

His voice was enough to make her jump, and as she saw Lucas' reflection in the mirror, Brooke brought her hand away from her mouth.

"You're in my house now?" She spat, not the reaction he'd been hoping for. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because look at you Brooke!" He raised his voice to match the pitch of her own. "I thought the drinking and the drugs was enough, but pills as well?"

"I don't know what you want me to say! It's my choice!"

"That's why I can't leave you alone!" His blue eyes were silently pleading with hers now, and she couldn't make her own look in a different direction. "I was trying to save you from that, from pills, from drugs, from getting so wasted you can't even remember what you've done."

"But why _you?_" She demanded, throwing the pills that had been residing in her hand onto the tiled floor. "What do you have this compulsive need to _save me_?"

Lucas surveyed her broken form, her eyes streaming with tears that didn't show signs of stopping, her hair, matted and tangled with sand, across her face.

"Because nobody else has."

She'd captured his lips before she even had time to think about what he'd just said loosing herself in the feel of his hands around her back, pulling her closer to him. He'd said all he'd needed to say since first meeting her, and as she pulled away, she realised she'd given in to that temptation she been fighting since their first meeting, all those weeks ago.

"And thank you." Brooke said, before she did actually pass out from tiredness. "The bonfire, you really saved me."

"From what?" He question, moving the damp strands of her from out of her eyes.

"All of it."

She cupped his cheek again, drawing him back to her as he let his hands stroke her back in an attempt to offer her some form of safety. Lucas could taste the alcohol on her lips, but it didn't seem to matter any more as she bit down on his own lip lightly, prompting him to loose himself in her touch.

They'd shared their first kiss in a bathroom, with pills scattering the floor and an empty bottle staring at them from the cabinet. It wasn't romantic, and it wasn't the declaration of love they'd seen so many times in so many different movies. But it worked. It was the comfort she needed, and as Brooke slipped her tongue part-way into Lucas' warm mouth, he knew he'd saved her.

_If everything were plain sailing, tell me what there would be left to resolve

* * *

_

Please review xxx 


	7. Mr and Mrs

**A/N-** Hehe, they finally got together! 'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter and thank you so much for the reviews. I don't know if this is the case for anyone else, but my email thing isn't working so I don't know when I get reviews or new story alerts. I hope it gets fixed soon...

So I have a confession to make: I hate writing fluff, mostly because I'm no good at it, so I hope this doesn't suck too much, but you know me...there's always something around the corner...

**

* * *

**

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter 7- Mr and Mrs

"You know I really should get to work" Lucas mumbled in between Brooke's kisses. Arriving for work in the morning to find that she was wide awake with her drapes open and tanning herself by the pool was a huge relief, and an even greater one was the fact that she blew him a kiss before he even opened the door of his truck.

"But I prefer you like this." She replied, pulling him even closer so that he was almost laid on top of her on the sun lounger. "Besides, you're working your lips."

He surveyed her form lying so delicately beneath him, and then looked at her body in the teeny bikini, shrugging. "I guess you're right."

----

"Lucas, true or false…"

"Brooke if this is some kind of game…" He began, looking up from the fence he was repainting.

"It's not!" She replied "Besides, if you won't let me have my fun kissing you, these quizzes on Cosmo will have to do."

"See there's the thing. The quizzes are in Cosmo."

"So?"

"So it's a girls magazine."

"Don't be silly" She giggled "Now answer the question. True or false, you like to have sex in dangerous situations."

Hr frowned slightly, but when he caught her kinked eyebrow, he couldn't help but smile. "What kind of dangerous situations?"

"I don't know…" She started, getting up from the sun lounger and making her way over to him. "Ones like these."

He had to drop the paintbrush onto the grass when she sucked on his neck lightly, letting out her hot breath as he closed his eyes, trying not to get too caught up in her touch.

Lucas pulled back a little, his blue eyes still closed. "Yeah I like dangerous situations."

"Good" Brooke replied, kissing him just below his ear once more. "because you know if someone saw us…" She moved to his lips, brushing hers against them lightly. "Things could get very" _Short kiss _"Very" _lingering kiss _"Dangerous."

----

When she emerged from her balcony doors at 7pm sharp, letting the wind blow her lightly curled hair, Lucas felt his breath catch in his throat.

"How do I look?" She shouted down, smirking a little as she turned to give him the full view.

"Like something I saw in a magazine once" He smiled, shielding his eyes from the evening sun which was still surprisingly hot.

"Is that good?"

"Definitely." He replied, grinning as she returned inside, shutting the doors behind her.

"So where are you going?" Lucas asked slightly disappointed that she hadn't asked for his company. Still, they had only kissed last night, so he couldn't be too upset.

"There's a launch party for Dan Scott's new auto carwash."

When Lucas frowned, she couldn't help but smile.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing that to a carwash?"

It was when she giggled, that Lucas realised how little he actually knew about this world that Brooke lived in.

"There'll be reporters, business dealers offering lots of money. You've gotta make a good impression."

"Well you'll certainly do that." He smiled, surveying her body once more. He couldn't say that she looked anything other than stunning-he hadn't seen her in a dress like this before. The deep shade of emerald complimented her eyes perfectly, and when he looked at himself, clad in old jeans and boots with no shirt on, he realised why he wasn't attending this launch party with her.

She kissed him briefly on the cheek, and when he brought a hand to the sticky patch on his skin, Brooke had to laugh.

"What's the matter?"

"What do you have on your lips? It's all…sticky and…sparkly"

She rolled her eyes, opening her purse. "It's called lip gloss."

Lucas frowned once again and she hit him playfully across the chest. "Boy do you have a lot to learn."

And as he watched her drive away in that silver Mercedes, he realised that she wasn't wrong. He definitely had lots to learn when it came to the world of Tree Hill and Brooke Davis.

----

"You coming home with me tonight?" Nathan whispered in Brooke's ear as his father made the speech the town had waited for. A new carwash wasn't exciting, but if it meant publicity, the residents of Tree Hill wouldn't miss such an opportunity. There were women floating around in the latest Chanel, a few of the younger, more daring ones in bold Missoni prints complimented by brightly-coloured purses and hair pieces. The guys of course were all in shirts and ties, and Brooke's thoughts drifted to Lucas, wondering whether she would prefer to see him shirtless, or dressed up in some kind of uniform. Either way, she hoped he would still be there when she got home.

"I…um, I can't." She replied hastily

"You want me to come over to yours?"

She replied "No" perhaps a little too quickly, but just as quickly added a "thanks."

Faking a yawn, Brooke played out her excuse, stating "I'm just a little tired."

It took all of her strength not to down one of the glasses of Moet and Chandon that were permeating the room, as Brooke was determined not to go home to Lucas drunk after events the previous night. Instead, she kept her place by the buffet table, which was laden with mini bruschettas and mini pastry bites. It had only occurred to her tonight, that nothing was ever regular-sized in this town. People had big houses, big cars and big budgets, or small waists, small appetites and small, fake smiles. But then again, Tree Hill wasn't just your regular town.

----

She was pleased to see that Lucas' truck was still in the driveway when she returned, and even more pleased to see that he was still shirtless as he loaded his tools into the bed of the truck.

"You had a good time?" He asked, wiping his hands on his jeans before she took them in hers, pulling him to her and kissing him softly.

"Not so much. I couldn't wait to get back."

He breathed in the sweet perfume she was wearing and raised an eyebrow, catching Brooke off guard as he stole her signature 'look'.

"I couldn't wait for you to get back either."

She didn't care that she still had her dress on that had cost over $300 and was rubbing against the rough material of his jeans. He didn't care that the soft strands of her hair were tickling his neck as her hands tangled in his own hair, her fingers caressing his neck as though she was some kind of expert on what he liked. And neither of them noticed the headlights illuminating the driveway as they continued their assault on each other's lips, a signal of what was surely to follow.

"Brooke Penelope Davis!"

She knew that voice too well. Drawing back, she opened her eyes, turning to look behind her.

"Mom, Dad…"

* * *

Ooh a little cliffhanger there for you! Please review, the next chapter should come out faster if you do...


	8. White Lies

**A/N- **It's been a little while since I updated but this chapter is finally finshed (I left it on the computer system at school and couldn't find it lol.) so yay! Start of Christmas tomorrow, I'm so excited! Anyway, a huge thank you for you reviews, and with no further ado, on with the chapter...

**

* * *

**

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter 8- White Lies

The sun had only just begun to rise, and Brooke knew it was still the early hours of the morning. After her parents' arrival the previous night, she had stayed in her room while they dismissed Lucas, throwing a handful of twenty dollar bills at him. He caught her eye as she watched from the doors to her balcony, offering an apologetic smile in his direction as he threw the rest of his equipment into the bed of his truck.

He'd held her gaze as he lifted up a small scrap of paper, placing it under a stone by the border he had only just finished. She'd nodded, and he'd smiled a little, wiping the dirt off his hands onto his jeans. He'd put his shirt back on by now, and when Brooke mouthed 'I'm sorry' Lucas had only shrugged. He understood.

----

Tiptoeing quietly down the stairs, Brooke had been extra-careful not to wake her parents, grabbing a spare key from inside just in case they removed the one form behind the pot plant. She couldn't take any chances now, she had to be prepared for everything.

He was waiting for her, just as the note said he would. Brooke could tell it was going to be a hot day-though the breeze was a little cool, the sky was already clear, and there were the usual crowd of surfers out to catch the early morning waves before sunbathers flocked to the beach in their hundreds, all hoping to work on their already golden tans.

"I wasn't sure if you'd…"

She silenced him with a kiss she'd needed to give ever since her parents told him to get the hell out. "Of course I was going to come."

"I didn't know whether your parents would catch you." He admitted. "I was a little scared."

Brooke smiled and shook her head, kissing him again. "They can't keep me away."

"I need to apologise." Lucas began.

"My parents should be the ones apologising to you, not the other way around."

"I meant to you." He replied. "If I'd just gone home last night instead of waiting, they wouldn't have caught us."

"If you'd have gone home last night without waiting for me, I'd have been pissed." Brooke giggled a little. "You don't need to apologise Lucas."

They walked along the beach, just watching the waves crash against the shore as the sun continued to rise. He didn't have to say anything else, Lucas knew that, but every time he watched her, he needed to ask if she would be okay. He knew what she was capable of doing alone, and if he wasn't there to check up on her, he wondered just what might happen.

"Are you okay?" He asked after a little while. "Not just now, but I mean in general."

Brooke shrugged, guessing what Lucas meant. "I guess."

"I just worry." He admitted. "If you were around some people, you might…" He trailed off.

"I want to be good." Brooke replied. "For you and for me. I don't want to be that girl anymore. I _never_ wanted to be that girl."

It was when he kissed her that he knew she was telling the truth, that nobody could kiss like that if they'd just lied.

"I should be getting back." Brooke told him. "If my parents find that I'm gone, they might ground me and then I wouldn't be able to see you at all."

"I'll meet you later?" Lucas asked. "At that little diner at the end of fourty-fifth."

"Sounds good." Brooke nodded. "Eight?"

"Eight it is."

----

"I saw you this morning." Bevin squealed a little excitedly as she shut the door of Brooke's car, purse at the ready for hardcore shopping. "At the beach."

Brooke gulped, trying to act like she couldn't remember whether she had or hadn't been there. "Where abouts?"

"Below that little tapas place."

Brooke tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded lightly. "Oh yeah, I was just um…"

"You were with that guy!" Bevin exclaimed. "The one from the bonfire party."

"Where were _you_?" Brooke asked a little worried that if Bevin had seen her with Lucas, she may well have witnessed her kissing him.

"Surfing."

"You surf?"

"Toby's teaching me. He says I'm a natural."

Hoping that Bevin would forget the subject of their conversation and talk about herself as usual, Brooke nodded, smiling nervously. She couldn't tell people about her relationship with Lucas, not yet. Someone was bound to recognise him as the gardener, and Brooke couldn't afford to take that chance.

"Anyway, we're not talking about me and Toby."

_Well it was worth a try._

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing this morning, not when he kissed you."

"Bevin I'm trying to drive, I need to concentrate."

Bevin shook her head lightly, smiling. "You're embarrassed."

"I'm not!"

"Oh you so are!" She squealed. "Is he a bad kisser?"

"No!"

"So you have kissed him?" She raised an eyebrow, pretty pleased with her detective work.

"Fine!" Brooke relented. "Yes I kissed him, and yes he is the guy from the bonfire."

"So are you a couple?"

Truthfully, Brooke didn't know. She hadn't actually been part of a 'couple' before, so she wasn't sure whether to assume that's what her and Lucas were, or wait for him to ask her out officially.

"No" She guessed. It was probably the right answer.

"Where'd you guys meet?"

"What is this?" Brooke asked "It's like 20 questions."

"I'm just _curious_. So where did you meet him?"

Brooke shrugged. "Just around." A few white lies never hurt anyone.

Fortunately, that was a good enough answer for Bevin, who clapped excitedly when she saw a billboard advert for the new Chanel body shimmer.

----

"Brooke, get your ass over here!" Bevin shouted down the phone. They were at Tim's, yet again, after having bumped into him at the Mall. There hadn't been a party in well over a few days, so naturally, someone had taken it upon themselves to throw a big wager, complete with half-naked girls and lines of cocaine. That someone apparently was Tim.

"I'm kinda busy."

"With that Lucas guy?"

"Bevin!" Brooke's eyes widened as she realised in horror that someone at the other end of the line might hear.

"C'mon Brooke, you were always the one up for a party." Bevin pleaded. "There's lots of cute guys."

"Bevin you're with Toby!"

"So? It doesn't hurt if I _look_."

Brooke rolled her eyes as she listened to the same excuses that had frequently left her own mouth, so many times before.

"Please come. It's no fun without our favourite party girl."

"Fine." She gave in. "But only for an hour or so."

She knew that if she left now, she would only be a half hour late to meet Lucas. She didn't know his number, but he'd wait for her, Brooke was sure of that.

----

Checking herself in her wing mirror, Brooke adjusted her jeans skirt to make sure it was short enough. She'd thrown a brown tank top on over her bikini, which unfortunately, she'd tied a little too loose. Still, she wouldn't have it on for long.

"Brooke!"

Too many people greeted her when she entered the room which was already too hot, filled with writhing bodies as people danced to the music, sipping on drinks that had only a tiny amount of soda in them.

"Bevin says you have a new guy." Theresa giggled, clearly drunk.

"I don't…"

"The guy who built the bonfire." Someone else shouted. "He was hot!"

"I um…"

"I've seen him before." Tim chipped in. "Driving a truck with writing on the side."

"Really?" Brooke asked, taking a huge gulp of the vodka she'd brought. She'd need it tonight.

"Yeah, but I don't know what it said."

"Aww Tim, you still can't read?" Brooke mocked in an attempt to shift the focus from her and Lucas. It worked, thank God, and they changed direction, ridiculing Tim while girls tried to console him, giggling and sliding their hands across places Brooke could remember herself touching, not so long ago.

----

"I heard you have a new boyfriend." Nathan said roughly in Brooke's ear, snaking his hands around her waist from behind.

She shook her head, a little fuzzy from the drink. "He's not my boyfriend."

"It's that guy isn't it?" Nathan asked. "The one who was in your house during the storm."

Brooke didn't answer, and Nathan continued, inching closer to her lips as he spoke.

"If he's not your boyfriend, he won't have a problem then." He leaned in, brushing her lips with his own as she fought hard not to reciprocate. "With this."

His hands were on her hips, pushing her further into him as they ground together, too many people with too many opinions close around them, doing the same. Brooke was too caught up in him to even think about anyone else right now, let alone the time it was.

"I shouldn't…" She whispered against his skin.

"But you're not…"

"I know." She continued to kiss him, smiling as she smelt that cologne she loved so much. Her hands were at the back of his neck now, her fingers curling as he pressed into her, jeans rubbing against the soft skin left uncovered by her skirt.

----

She was giggling too much as she staggered up the driveway, her head heavy, her limbs swaying as Brooke fought against sleep. It was the lights that made her turn around first of all. The engine wasn't running, and as she squinted into the harsh brightness, she realised why.

"I waited." He said a little harshly. "I thought maybe you were just waiting until your parents went out or you were still getting ready."

Brooke had to hold onto the gatepost, just to stay upright. "I'm sorry. I was just…"

"You were at that party."

"What do you expect me to do?" Her voice showed uncertainty, desperation. "I have a life Lucas!"

"I know, and so do I. Only I put it aside tonight to meet you."

"I never asked you to."

"_We_ agreed eight o clock."

Brooke dipped her head, shaking herself awake. "I only meant to stay at the party for an hour."

"You were with him."

"Who?"

"Nathan."

"So?" She knew it was harsh, but having Lucas judge her too sure as hell wasn't what she needed right now.

"So I thought we were together. You said you wanted to be good."

"I _wanted _to have some fun." Brooke bit back.

"You're going to wake your parents." Lucas said softly in attempt to make her a little quieter. The last thing they needed right now was to be interrupted.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him with those watering hazel eyes and it was all he could do not to cry with her.

"But I had to go." She said softly this time. "Bevin saw us this morning, on the beach. She recognised you from the bonfire."

Lucas looked down and Brooke hid her eye with her hair. She was still a little drunk, she knew that. And it didn't do well to have a meaningful conversation when she was drunk.

"You told me that you didn't care what they thought."

"I don't, it's just…"

"You do." Lucas replied softly. "It's okay, I get it."

As he turned to leave, hands dug into his pockets, Brooke used all the energy she had left to stand up and call his name.

"Please don't."

He remembered when he'd said those words to her in her bathroom, just as her hand was poised to tip the pills into her mouth.

"I get it Brooke."

He kissed her softly and she let her eyes close, arms wrapping around him as he moved the hair away from her face. Just as their initial kiss had been, this was a far cry from the romance they'd both witnessed among others.

But for Brooke and Lucas it didn't matter. Status mattered. Secrets mattered. But not where and how they kissed. It was merely a detail, a description in their story.

He watched as she slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her for fear of getting caught. He waited until she nodded from behind the doors to her balcony, offering a quick smile, a grateful smile.

She'd denied their relationship to her friends, he'd denied their relationship to his Mom. They were simply white lies, one's that couldn't hurt anyone.

Right?

* * *

Please review guys xxx 


	9. Runaways

**A/N- **Thank you for your amazing reviews guys, please keep them up : ) With no further ado, on with chapter 9...

**

* * *

**

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter 9- Runaways

_I don't want you to give it all up, and leave your own life collecting dust._

It was dark, and tonight the sky didn't even show the stars, the moon, and it sure as hell didn't illuminate her tiny form struggling with the bag full of clothes outside of her house. Thank God.

Brooke wondered just how heavy a few outfits and a hairdryer could be, after all, she'd only brought her essentials, and they were, well…they were essentials.

Her parents were still asleep in their room, she'd listened long enough at the door to hear her father's snoring, and her mother's light breathing, an indication that their night at the restaurant had included alcohol. Her father always snored when he was drunk.

She had to get away now, from the town, from the people, from the parties. Brooke gave in to temptation far too easily-she could admit that. But last night had just proved too much, even for her. And right now, this was the only answer.

"You sure?" He asked, taking the bag from her and lifting it with ease. He was here, just as he said he would be, with his truck parked a few metres down the street, avoiding being seen from Brooke's house.

She nodded and Lucas smiled, kissing her briefly before placing a hand on her arm, trying to steady it as he led her down the driveway he had been so used to parking in every day.

----

The drive was silent. Brooke didn't ask where they were going and Lucas didn't know. All he could do was drive south of Tree Hill, hoping that the gas in his truck would be enough to at least get them out of the state.

Brooke had still managed to put on a coat of mascara, accompanying her knee-length cotton dress and flip flops. Lucas had no idea whether she actually owned a pair of sweats and a hoody, but he had imagined her in them anyway. And she didn't look any less beautiful than she did right now.

"You're thinking." She commented, flicking the radio station over. She couldn't stand to listen to Aqualung's 'easier to lie' anymore.

Lucas nodded and placed a hand on her knee. "And you're shaking."

"I'm nervous."

"Me too."

That was their only communication. Brooke tried guessing in her head, where they were heading, but when Lucas kept on the freeway instead of leaving at the next exit, she was all out of ideas. The only thing she knew was that they were going South.

That was the only thing Lucas knew too.

----

"What're we supposed to do?" Brooke asked as he placed her bag down beside the bed, closing the door behind him. It was like the motel rooms he'd seen on movies so many times before-when the guy and the girl had run away together.

It had always been Brooke's fantasy.

It had always been Lucas' fear.

He shrugged and sat down on the bed, rubbing his tired eyes as he smiled at her. "What do they do in the movies when they run away together?"

"Have sex." She kinked her eyebrow and Lucas was transported back to the time when they had watched the storm over the city together, sipping on hot chocolate and wishing that things between them were different.

Now they were, and Lucas wasn't sure if he was glad or not.

"We could eat." Lucas suggested, hoping to brush past Brooke's suggestion. It wasn't that he didn't want to-hell, he couldn't wait until they did finally do…that. But they were in a seedy motel room. And they had run away. It was too stereotypical to do that too.

"Sounds good."

She hid her disappointment behind a section of the newspaper containing some latest story about Britney Spears' divorce. He hid his worry behind the sports section.

Neither talked.

----

"What's up?" Lucas asked when they returned to their room, Brooke's hands dug deep into the pockets of her cotton cardigan.

"Nothing."

"You're not cheery." He commented, sitting down beside her on the bed as she lifted her head up a little.

"Am I not good enough for you Lucas? Aren't I enough like the girls you've had back home?"

He squinted his eyes a little, not quite sure what she meant. "What are you trying to say?"

"When I bring up sex, you act funny. Do you just not want to sleep with me because I'd understand if…"

He silenced her with a kiss, pulling her closer so that when he drew back, he could still feel her breath against his neck. "It's not that Brooke. And you're more than good enough for me, too good."

"Then why…"

"Because I didn't want to be one of those guys." Lucas answered. "I didn't want you to go to sleep wondering if I'd be here when you woke up."

"I'm not addicted to sex I promise." She giggled, feeling so much better as he placed another delicate kiss on the top of her head.

"If you're sure?"

She rolled her eyes and giggled again. "I'm positive I'm not addicted."

"I didn't mean about that." He laughed lightly. "I meant if you're sure you trust me enough to know that I'll be there the next morning."

"Oh!" She kissed him, hard, barely taking longer than a few seconds to remove his shirt. "You'd better be."

It was a tangle of hot, sweaty bodies, sheets pushed to the end of the bed, hair matted and untamed as they continued to kiss, him on top of her, her letting him do it his way.

There weren't any thoughts of Nathan, of alcohol, of her parents back in Tree Hill. He didn't worry that he was doing the wrong thing, not when she pushed her hips towards him and he leant down to suck on that spot just below her left ear, biting down lightly as she dug her nails into his back.

----

"I always wanted to do this." Brooke giggled, sticking her fork into the plate of waffles coated in maple syrup-something she'd seen in movies.

"Eat waffles?"

"Yeah." She nodded, taking a bite. "While running away. It looked fun."

"And is it?" Lucas asked slightly amused that the girl who seemingly had everything only wanted something as simple as waffles in a cheap diner.

"Definitely."

They didn't say much to one another, but found time to smile across the table as each sipped on their coffee, Lucas with a creamy latte, Brooke happy with a simple black with sugar.

"What are we supposed to do?" She asked as they laid in bed, the sheets again pushed to the end of the bed as they fought against the heat projecting from the stuffy room.

"Now?"

"No I mean…what do you _do _when you run away?"

Lucas simply shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Oh." Brooke rested her head back against his chest, tracing light patterns with her forefinger.

"We Didn't really think this through huh?" Lucas smiled, watching as her eyes fluttered between open and closed.

"No." Brooke muttered. "We should have at least gone to a motel with a decent working ceiling fan."

"That's not what I mean." Lucas chuckled lightly. "We Didn't really think about the whole running away thing."

"Does anyone?"

"I think most people have some sort of a plan." He guessed. "Or at least a reason for leaving."

"We have a reason." Brooke replied, suddenly more awake.

"Which is?"

"Tree Hill."

"We're running away form a town?" Lucas questioned.

"Yeah, the town, the people, the monotony."

It was quiet between them, for too long. Quiet enough for Brooke to be able to hear Lucas' heartbeat, and quiet enough for him to hear her eyelashes flicking against the starchy white of the pillow.

"I think we should go back." Lucas said softly.

"But why? We could go to a different state tomorrow."

"Like where Brooke? We don't have any money, we don't have a plan."

"We could make one." She replied. "And as for money, I memorised my dad's credit card numbers since I was old enough to shop on my own, which, by most people's standards, was too young."

"I'm not living off your parents money."

"Well you do right now!" She answered too harshly. "Sorry, I just…don't you like this?"

"I like this part." Lucas smiled, indicating her body draped over his, bare skin next to bare skin as the lights from the cars on the highway illuminated the room from time to time.

"We could get jobs. You could landscape people's gardens and I could…waitress?"

"What about your friends?" Lucas laughed. "Your cheerleading squad, senior prom next year?"

Brooke shrugged. "They don't mean anything."

"C'mon Brooke, you love them."

"Not as much as I love you."

Her eyes shot wide open as Brooke realised the words that had left her mouth. Did she really love him? She'd never once told a guy she loved them, but she'd also never been 'a couple' before, let alone run away with a guy. Maybe Lucas _was _different. Maybe she could love someone.

Maybe it was the heat of the moment, the whole 'running away' package. But as Brooke replayed the words over in her head, she realised how much she loved the sound of them.

_You know I'd do that for you, so why are you running away?

* * *

_

How's that for you guys? xxx 


	10. Just The Gardener

**A/N- **Okay guys, here it is...the LAST CHAPTER! I'll leave a note at the bottom, so I'll let you read and enjoy...

**

* * *

**

**Just The Gardener**

Chapter 10- Just The Gardener

_Well it's a big big city and the lights are all out  
But it's much as I can do you know, to figure you out  
And I must confess, my heart's in broken pieces  
And my heads a mess _

"But I don't want to." Brooke mumbled, the sunlight further warming her already hot skin. "I like it just the two of us."

"It'll be the two of us back in Tree Hill." Lucas tried to reason, brushing Brooke's hair away from his neck.

"But it won't because everyone else will be there. We'll have to keep sneaking around and…"

"Hey." He stopped her, tracing circles across her cheek as she looked at him, doing her best pouting face that almost worked. _Almost._

"Besides, we don't have to sneak around."

"But then everyone will find out."

"So?"

She sat up then, slightly worried about his care-free attitude. Either he didn't know what it meant for her, or he just didn't care.

"What's so bad with everyone finding out?"

"I just…"

"You're making this, us, a problem Brooke."

She shook her head as if trying to tell herself that Lucas was wrong. "People are going to talk."

"People always talk!" Lucas said, getting a little more irate. He knew all about people's opinions back in Tree Hill-he'd experienced them full hand. "Never mind."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked, throwing back the sheets as she climbed out of bed, covering her body with the comforter.

"It wasn't supposed to mean anything."

"Then why say it?" She shot back, making her way to the bathroom as Lucas could do nothing but watch her.

"Are we actually fighting about this."

"No." Brooke shook her head. "I'm just letting you know what it's going to be like for me when we go back."

"It's all about you!" Lucas exploded. "What about me? I won't have a job to go back to. I took a risk Brooke, for you! And now you're ashamed of that."

"I'm not." She said softly, holding the sheets a little tighter around her frame.

"Well it seems like it."

----

The drive was silent, Brooke silently hating Lucas in her head (or at least, telling herself that she did) and Lucas trying to ignore his own desire to stay where ever the hell they were right now.

Had Brooke not had to return to school, or organise the social events she did, Lucas might have considered staying. Perhaps if he'd had some money, and they could have afforded the gas to get to the next city, they might have kept running. Had he actually told Brooke that he loved her back, he _would_ have let her stay.

But thinking that he _might _love a girl who seemed so vulnerable, so broken, Lucas couldn't take that chance. He wasn't going to be responsible for destroying someone's life. He'd been labelled that before. He wasn't doing it again.

"Are you going to speak to me?" Lucas asked, half-joking, half-serious. But when Brooke shrugged, he guessed that her answer was no.

"I just don't want to go back." She mumbled, not sure about who she was talking to.

"But why? You've lived in Tree Hill forever, it can't be that bad."

"You try living there for seventeen years." She replied bitterly. "Then tell me that it's not so bad."

"Are you pissed at me?" He tried to figured out.

"No."

"So that's a yes then." Lucas tried to smile, but when he reached out for her hand, Brooke flinched. "Tell me Brooke."

She sighed, and hid her hands inside of her pockets, drawing her knees to her chest as Lucas continued to drive along the highway, noting the signs for the city.

"You can't just come along and save me, and then make me go back to it all Lucas."

"I'm not making you go back to that kind of a life Brooke, you don't have to live like you did before."

"But you don't get it!" Her voice was raised now, salty tears pricking in her hazel eyes. "I can't avoid it Lucas."

----

It was Brooke's parents that were first to pass comment on her absence (though it never usually happened like that. Normally, they failed to notice that she'd even gone) and as they ushered their daughter inside, Brooke managed to turn her head to look at Lucas, who mouthed 'I'm sorry.'

None of the words that he'd said to her had been 'I love you' and Brooke figured that her feelings were the reason they had left the motel. After shouting from her father, and indication of embarrassment from her mother, Brooke was finally left alone in her room to cry, and to take a swig from that bottle she kept in her bedside drawer.

Feelings weren't something she'd expressed before, and it was now that Brooke realised why. Loving someone you couldn't have was harder for her than having nobody at all. It was much simpler that way.

"Where?" She barked into her cell at Nathan, whose invite to a party was everything Brooke needed right now.

"I'll be there."

It didn't take her long to get ready. Her bikini was already on underneath her hoody, and as she quickly removed her jeans, changing into another almost identical pair, Brooke caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her appearance was anything but sexy, her hair ruffled and unkempt. But that didn't matter tonight.

"You're hooking up with your gardener aren't you?" Bevin asked Brooke almost as soon as she walked through Nathan's door.

"Don't be stupid." Brooke waved it away, adding her fake giggle for good measure. Good thing there was plenty to drink tonight.

"I'm not." Bevin replied seriously. "I saw you in his truck. That was the guy who set up your bonfire."

"Bevin I'm not…"

"People are talking Brooke." She hissed. "You're going to have to think of something if you wanna get rid of the rumours."

She left her stood there, returning to the small gathering of cheerleaders residing by the guys from the basketball team who seemed to be playing some sort of drinking game. Brooke guessed it was 'I never' the ever-popular party entertainment for Tree Hill.

"Brooke." Nathan greeted her with a brief nod of the head. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." She replied. "I'm back now."

And within minutes she was grinding up against him among other girls who were looking to score with their respective guys, all holding drinks, all hot and writhing.

"You are." Nathan said hoarsely as Brooke spun round, shaking her hips across him. "Back I mean."

Brooke simply nodded, happy to let thoughts of Lucas drift away from her as she felt Nathan's hands over her body. This was what she was used to, Brooke was thankful for that. Trying to make a relationship work was new to her, it was hard, and like most people her age, she liked the easy way. And right now, the easy way to live was to kiss different guys, drink too much and not care about anything. Or anyone.

"C'mon." She tugged at Nathan's hand, trying to pull him away. "We can go to mine."

"Your parents are home." He returned, ending their dancing as Brooke tried her pout.

"That never stopped you before."

"Aren't you dating that guy?" Nathan asked. "The one you were with the other morning?"

"I…"

"You were pissed at me when I kissed Peyton." He began. "You're doing the same thing."

"That's not true." Brooke replied, shaking her head and trying to convince herself that being with Nathan wasn't cheating on Lucas. Besides, he was the one that had made her come home, so he was the one that had forced her to this.

"C'mon Nate." She tried again, kinking a perfectly-plucked eyebrow. "You know I'll make it worth your while."

----

It wasn't long before she'd lured some other guy to the edge of the room, a guy that was content to suck on her neck and tell her that she was hot, and agreeing to go back home with her.

"I've just realised." Brooke giggled, slurring as she dragged the tall dark-haired guy up her driveway. "I don't even know your name."

He didn't care. Even if she didn't know his name, this was still Brooke Davis inviting him to sleep with her. He wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.

"Does it matter?" He asked, guiding her with his hands placed half on her ass, half on her hips.

Brooke giggled again, adding a 'nope' before he pinned her up against the outside wall of her house, her bare skin grazing against the stonework.

And then she saw him, waiting by the wall of the flower border he had only just completed before they ran away.

"Lucas I…"

"Save it." He replied quickly, standing up to leave.

"What are you even doing here?" She spat, making sure that this couldn't be portrayed as her own fault.

Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but then looked at the guy with his hand still against the wall at the side of Brooke, who now looked to small, too vulnerable for him to even shout his feelings.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him through trembling lips. "I can't do this."

Looking between Brooke and Lucas, he suddenly realised he remembered him from before.

"Aren't you the gardener?" He asked Lucas, and as he caught Brooke's expression, realised that he had guessed correctly. Smirking, he shook his head and laughed. "Brooke Davis, sleeping with her gardener."

"I'm not…" Lucas began.

"The rumours _were _true." He laughed again. "And you're lying for her. Dude, that is so cliché."

"Can you just _go_?" Brooke spat, wriggling away from his arms as she folded her own across her body that suddenly seemed to exposed.

----

"We've had too many conversations like this." Lucas said softly, taking in the sight of the girl standing before him, the one that was barely able to stand from excessive alcohol consumption.

"I know." Was all she could whisper as she stared at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"You keep saying that." Lucas replied. "And it just seems like you don't mean it."

"I do!"

"Then why do you keep doing it? Why the random guys?"

"Because I had to go back to who I was."

Lucas shook his head, laughing in frustration. "Is this all because I said we had to come back."

"No." Brooke replied quickly. "It's because it's easier like this."

"For who?"

"Both of us."

Brooke sat down on the wall in an attempt to steady herself and stop her legs from shaking.

"You're telling me it's easier for me to see you bringing random guys back to your house?"

"I meant, it was easier before…before everything happened and I fell in love with you."

Lucas stopped what he was about to say, and stared intently at Brooke, trying to work out whether she actually meant that, or whether it was just because she was drunk.

"Forget it." She said quickly, getting up while wiping at her eyes, just to stop the tears from falling. She'd fumbled for the key and almost managed to get it in the lock before she heard Lucas mumble a few almost incomprehendible words.

"What?" She asked, although she'd heard exactly what he'd said.

"I said, I'm in love with you too." Lucas repeated, rubbing the back of his neck roughly. "I just didn't realise until now."

It was a blur of naked skin, bodies entangled as Lucas captured Brooke's lips with his own, feeling her gasp and inhale sharply as he moved in her. She didn't care that her parents could walk in and catch them, and he didn't care that after admitting his feelings towards Brooke, he had everything to lose.

Everyone would know about her relationship with Lucas, that was for sure. But he loved her, and she wasn't sure she'd ever had that before. It was still new to her, and it was hard, and it was almost too complicated. But laying there as he whispered the words over her bare skin again and again, Brooke knew none of it mattered anymore.

Lucas Scott wasn't just the gardener. He was the guy she loved.

_It's four in the morning, and I'm walking along  
Beside the ghost of every drinker here who has ever done wrong  
And it's you,  
That's got me going crazy for the things you do.

* * *

**A/N- **And that's it! 'Just the Gardener' is over. I was origionally going to do another chapter, but I felt that this is the ending this story deserves, and I didn't want to spoil the simplicity by adding another chapter. I've loved writing this story, and I hope you've loved reading it. I want to thank every single reviewer because you really do make it worthwhile letting me know that you read my stuff._

Look out for my next new story which I'll be posting within the next couple days (tomorrow probably) which is a sequal to 'Play The Game.' It's entitled 'Playing For Keeps' so I suggest if you haven't read the first one, GO READ IT:P So for the last time _please review _

Emily-Grace xxx


End file.
